This invention relates to certain novel 4-cyclopropylphenyl geranyl ethers and to their use as insect hormones to control insect populations.
There is a class of compounds which acts in a different manner on insects than presently used insecticides and exerts a disrupting influence upon the normal development of insects. Such compounds impede the normal pupation of insects and result in the formation of members of the treated species which are non-viable or sterile. This ultimately leads, indirectly at least, to the destruction of the insect population.
Compounds of this type are believed to have further advantages in that they are non-toxic to warm-blooded animals and highly effective in controlling insects at low dosages. It is also hoped that it will be more difficult for insects to develop resistance to these compounds. Compounds of this type are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,766,208, 3,851,061, 3,410,894, 3,914,321 and others.